[chirp_users] Icom IC-2100H, Excel spreadsheet, csv files, chirp-next-20240111-win64

[Ken Hansen]

In a previous life I was a software tester, that's why I suggested what did before - to try and identify the source of the issue, but that's doesn't seem to have been taken up, let's take another stab at this, see below:

> On Jan 11, 2024, at 8:45 AM, Rich NE1EE <TheDustyKey at imaginarian.org> wrote:
> 
> GM, all,
> Thanks for this bit of testing. I intend to do my best to keep track of this topic, because I need to be clear in my docs to the ARES group.

OK

> As an erstwhile software engineer and programmer, I expect that the record reading routine instantiates a record structure populated with defaults, then proceeds to read the csv, filling in any valid data found. That would seem to create only valid complete records.

Assuming how the software works may or may not be accurate.

> I've been using chirp-next, so that accounts for some of my success. I see that I am not using
> URCALL,RPT1CALL,RPT2CALL,DVCODE
> but I have
> ,,,,
> at the end of each line. I am using MS Office 2010, which I have been using for years, though I see that there have been updates to it that I have accepted.

Your 14 year-old Excel is noted, and it makes sense your FM radio doesn't use DStar-specific fields.

> 1. In the spreadsheet, I CLEAR all unused cells...I don't just leave them "apparently" empty. I Save As csv file. (all these files are available upon request)

So you've modified the exported CSV file...

> 1a. I open an img file from the 2100H, then IMPORT the csv (it IS an option, even if the popup says it isn't recommended), it appears that the img is updated SOMEWHAT correctly. Some memory lines are left blank, and I dont't see why...the csv lines look fine to me. If chirp sees too many commas in a row, does it get tired of processing nothing, and skip the rest of the line? Because I have this
> 
> 4,EROCK4,147.465000,,,,,,23,NN,23,Tone->Tone,FM,5.00,,50W,EAST ROCK VOICE ONLY,,,,
> 
> and it is skipped.

Dunno, tell me more about the changes you made to the CSV file

> 2. If I choose to OPEN the csv file, the result is the same...I have blank lines in the csv file tab in chirp.

Sounds like some lines are invalid...

> 3. I then filled (spreadsheet) Offset, rToneFreq, cToneFreq with valid data, even though those fields are not used. For example, if a channel is simplex, there is no offset. If no tone option is specified, no tone value is needed. Hence CLEARing the fields in the spreadsheet, rather than leaving them "blank". If I don't CLEAR them, I get spaces twixt commas. I don't know how chirp handles those.
> 
> 4,EROCK4,147.465000,,0.600000,,88.5,88.5,23,NN,23,Tone->Tone,FM,5.00,,50W,EAST ROCK VOICE ONLY,,,,

Not sure this CLEARing of unused fields is correct, many OEM programming applications keep default values in unused fields, maybe CHIRP doesn't like CLEARed fields instead of "blank" (however that is differentiated from "clear"?)

> 3a. I then opened the csv in chirp. The import stopped at line 23, but I suspect that is because the rest of the channels don't match the 2100H freq range (154.9..162.475). I'll check the specs. BUT now all the formerly blank lines are filled.

It's possible CHIRP is blocking out-of-band frequencies, if so, it should be easy to prove - program an out-of-band frequency into radio front panel, then read off of radio, confirm freq in img file in chirp, then export, and import CSV, confirming the file contains the output-of-band freq/channel.

If this fails to import, CHIRP is blocking the upload, if it all works, the issue has to do with the fields you manually entered/rows you created.

> 3b. I copied lines 1..23 from the csv tab to lines 1..23 in the ing tab, and it seems that all lines are correct. *** Unsed fields (see #3 above) are showing blank, as expected. I havna had a chance to load it into a 2100H and then read it, to see how that looks. BUT it seems that chirp is making some decisions I don't understand. I havna run into this before, because I tend to fill all fields, whether used or not, with defaults.

I suspect the answer lies in the handling of "blank", "clear", and "default values"...

> 4. I checked the 2100H specs. The RX is listed as
> 136–174 MHz, BUT
> *Guaranteed 144–148 MHz only.

The radio will accept/receive out-of-band (136-144, 148-174 MHz), but the specs aren't guaranteed.

> Nonetheless, the deleted lines contain what seems to me to be valid data.

OK

> 73 Rich NE1EE
> The Dusty Key
> On the banks of the Piscataqua
> 
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